Grace Greater Than Our Sin

The Tribunal of Christ and the Controversy Over John 8:1-11

I'd like to dive right into this. It's the wonderful story of the woman that's caught in the very act of adultery, an awful sin that broke God's law. She is brought to Jesus for judgment. I started to name this the Tribunal of Christ because, really, Christ is the grand subject of the Bible, and it's the scribes and the Pharisees here that are doing their best to trap Jesus and to put Him on trial.

But they don't recognize it, that the scribes and the Pharisees, they are the one that's going to be on trial. But I titled this, Grace That is Greater Than All of Our Sin, in which we will sing that at the conclusion.

Now, for an icebreaker here, I'm going to tell you, and I'm going to share something with you personally, with you as your pastor. I've studied many scriptures, and anytime I come to a text that's debated and controversial like this, was a serious obstacle to me and my family and my personal worship.

It was, I confess to you, I tore up four pages of notes, and I had to start all over. That was my introduction, four pages. I said, no, I can't do that to my congregation. It was just too much of a hindrance and a stumbling block to me personally, so I'm going to try to get through this and consolidate this introduction about this text and what I'm talking about.

And what am I talking about? It is often cited here, John chapter 8, and actually beginning with the text, John chapter 7, verse 53, to John 8, verse 1, all the way to verse 11, is taught and preached.

Many times it's been preached down through the centuries in the church, in churches, stretching across many denominations. This beloved, familiar passage of Scripture has been debated over the centuries, whether it is authentic in the original manuscripts.

And also, let me say in parentheses, along with Mark chapter 16, verse 9 to verse 20, has been in debate and controversy, whether that text is in, and there are others that's placed in, and you have to look at the internal evidence and look at the external testimony.

I'm not going to go in detail what that means, but you can look it up yourself. And I'm not going to, I'm going to put some of the ball in your court as a noble Good Berean. We all must be Good Bereans and to search these things out and do our homework where this text actually fits in the Scriptures, or does it fit into the Scriptures at all?

Now, no doubt, this is one of the longest and like I said, most famous New Testament texts whose authenticity is questioned. As you know as well as I do, is that these debates could go on and on and on and back and forth with very good intentions, very good points to make, but can I honestly say this in the worship service and especially with the children without being bored to death about going into a whole complete hour whether this fits into the Scriptures, I'm going to say this, it will absolutely take up too much time and become a distraction to our focus in worship.

And if it was an obstacle to me in my personal worship time with the Lord and studying this text, I don't see any point of bringing this out and saying, okay, we're going to throw this whole part of this chapter out of the sermon and saying, okay, it's not authentic to the original manuscript.

Now, like I said, there are debates. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. But for the sake of time, as your pastor, we are not going to spend a whole hour in the worship service and debating and looking into the controversy whether John 7 .53 to John 8 .1 -11 is authentic.

Now, I know that doesn't answer the question. And briefly, let me say this, I've read one commentator to another commentator, and I'm talking about good conservative scholars and theologians. R .C. Sproul basically, in his wonderful way, brought out the meaning of how does this text fit into the original?

Or is it in the original period? Why is it in the Bible? I had quotes by him, so I'm not going to bring that to your attention. There are others. Leon Morris really skips the whole thing. He makes very good remarks about it, and I've got one quote here by him in just a minute.

But it's interesting. And if you notice in your translation, who has it here, the LSB has brackets. Does anyone here have a translation? Do you see those brackets where those verses are? Well, a lot of translations like the NASB has those brackets, and they're basically telling you that this is not found in the original autographs, the original text.

Now, let me say in regards to the authenticity, is it inspired of God? Should it be in the Bible? Where is its placement? That would be a good subject to address, wouldn't it? But right now is not the time for it.

Maybe in a Bible study, in an adult Sunday school class sometime. Maybe Seth, I'll challenge Seth to bring that one out sometime. I went back and forth in reading this, and also there's something interesting I thought that was very important to bring out.

I went to Matthew Henry, which is considered one of the greatest commentaries or commentators of the Bible, a Puritan. He does not even touch on why or where the placement of this story fits in the Bible.

He just basically goes through the story. And I think he's got a point. It should not be an obstacle to our worship, and it should not throw in question why it's in the Bible. Then later on in the centuries, down the road, they say it was not to the original apostolic writings to where it goes in John.

Some feel like it goes in other locations. Luke chapter 21, somewhere in there, I believe I read. But in saying that, let me say this. As I was in my study this week, and especially yesterday, I literally wrote several pages, and I said, there's just no way.

I would like to do this as a challenge to you. Please be noble Bereans and search the Scriptures yourselves and look into church history concerning this text. Now, I want to throw in our church father Ambrose, our church father Augustine, as much as we reverence these men in the early centuries, historically, in the history of the church, they had problems with this text because they felt like Jesus was too lenient on sin.

Augustine, Ambrose, yeah, but these men, as much as we respect them, we don't agree with everything, right? Again, be a noble Berean, search the Scriptures daily to see whether those things are so. We must all study to show ourselves approved unto God to rightly divide the word of truth.

That is the text in the Scriptures. But does it fit in the placement of where it is? Well, I personally, I came to the conclusion, I believe it does. Warren Wiersbe believes that, that it fits right here.

And Wiersbe, he may not be a theologian and scholar, but I believe the man had the right viewpoint on the text. Now, again, saying that, though the differences do exist, whether or not that this text is authentic or not authentic, some scholars, again, treat it as it is not, some do.

Again, the placement, some feel like the placement is wrong, some feel like the placement's right. And I'm thinking, now, there's so many different opinions and good scholars that are basically going back and forth with this.

Again, I personally like, and you can judge me on this, you have a right to do that. I really love the way Matthew Henry.

Holds to it.

He does not go into the debate itself. He goes just to the story. I get this out of Warren Wiersbe. He said this, most scholars, conservative scholars, seem to agree that this passage is a part of inspired scripture.

And he mentioned L. F. Bruce, a theologian. Let me quote Bruce. L. F. Bruce says that this text is a fragment of authentic gospel material.

End quote.

Other scholars, such as Westcott, says this, quote, it is beyond doubt and an authentic fragment of apostolic tradition.

Quote, end quote.

So that describes an actual historical event from the life of Christ. And the picture it paints to us is one of grace,.

Wisdom,.

Love,.

Forgiveness of our dear Savior. And it is consistent with the Bible's portrait of Jesus Christ. Scholar Leon Morris did make this statement here even though he doesn't address, and I just bought a big thick commentary about that thick, and he is so good in everything, but he basically just does not grapple with it.

He says this, if we cannot feel that this is part of John's gospel, we can feel that the story is true to the character of Jesus.

End quote.

I agree with that. So in saying that, you just got an inner small introduction about which I consolidated it from an whole hour to 12 minutes. Could have went longer. So much could be said about that.

Christ at the Center of the Story

This wonderful passage to us is not primarily the story of adulterous. Can I tell you that? Even though there is an adulterous here in our story, it's not about the adulterous. Can I tell you that the story is not about the hypocritical religious leaders that the Pharisees described in the Pharisees?

It's not about them who basically used this tactic cunningly to attack or try to attack and trap the Lord Jesus Christ. So let this stay in the forefront of our mind that the central figure of this story is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

This is what John the Apostle is bringing out, that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. That's what's important. So don't let these obstacles about whether this particular part of this chapter fits here and there, wherever it goes, is it authentic?

Yes. Do your homework, study, see where its placement is, see what people have to say about it. But I've come to the conclusion personally, it fits right here, folks. It fits here. So let us read this wonderful text and let us behold the Lamb of God this morning as He is our gracious Savior.

And He's a gracious Savior towards this adulterous woman. And also Jesus firmly and lovingly rebukes in wisdom the self-righteous Pharisees. So turn with me to John 7. Let's look at it beginning with verse 53.

I'm going to read to John 8, verse 1, beginning with verse 1, verse 11. But first of all, I'm going to read verse 53.

And again,.

There's people that debate whether this should be placed here and whether it's authentic. I believe with all my heart it belongs right here. God has ordained it to be in the Bible, right? And I believe there's a purpose for that.

You can honestly say it is the Word of the living God. So can I say this before I read the Scriptures? I say with absolute confidence, hear the Word of the living God. And everyone went to his own house.

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now, early in the morning, He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.

And when they had set her in the mist, they said to Him, and teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger as though He did not hear. And when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let Him throw a stone at her first.

And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. He did it twice. Verse 9,. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the mist. And Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman. He said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?

She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. Let's bow in God's presence now as we approach His holy Word in reverence and ask God's blessing within this hour of worship.

Father, we bow before You in Your presence and we also bow in reverence, O God, before Your holy Word. Lord, it causes me to tremble. Lord, the great responsibility that I have taken and You have placed upon me this morning to bring this text to Your people.

I literally tremble, Lord, of that great responsibility. But Lord, we do worship You, our Heavenly Father. We do praise You for Your holy Word that You have preserved it. And it has inspired every word of it.

Every word that You have spoken, Lord, is true and it's pure. You have exalted Your Word above Your holy name. This brings us, O God, to a place of great reverence and awe before You, O Lord. So, Lord, I pray we need the help of Your blessed Holy Spirit within this hour, O God.

I would pray to help me, Lord, hide myself behind the cross and that everyone here would just hear a voice crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Search our hearts out this morning, O God, and change us.

And I conclude this prayer, Lord, as we begin our study in this wonderful chapter here. From Psalm 19, verse 14, as David cried out to You, Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

And I pray this in Jesus' name for Your glory. Amen. As we read and hear the wonderful words of life in which I've spoken to you, let us again keep in mind the Scriptures from the Apostle John here while he wrote this book.

He wrote it, and you can see the whole underlying theme and the purpose of his writing this book in chapter 20, and I believe it's verse 30 and 31. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book.

Now that's clear. There's things we do not know, but the things that are known are revealed to us, the sons of men, as Deuteronomy 29 .29 says. Then he says in verse 31, keep in mind, this is what's really important, beloved, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

That's the underscoring theme of everything that John is saying.

Even here.

There's another. That's at the end of it, and I'm going to make a bookend here. In John 1, verse 16 and 17, in light of the story in chapter 8, verse 1 to 11, God's gracious inspired word says this, and of His fullness we have received and grace for grace, for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The law was given through Moses. He is the law giver. He represented the law in the sense of being the prophet as He was and receiving the law of God on Mount Sinai and handing it to the people of Israel, God's children.

He was that instrument. He was God's conduit, so to speak. But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. What a wonderful statement. What a wonderful statement. If you remember the wonderful and awesome occasion when Moses, the prophet, who was God's instrument, as I mentioned, to give God's people the law of God from Mount Sinai, when God's awesome presence descended upon Mount Sinai, there was smoke.

It was actually terrible in the sense, not that it was bad, but it was full of awesomeness and worship displaying thunder and lightnings and smoke. And that was when God gave His law to Moses to pass to the children of Israel.

No one was to even touch the mountain of Sinai. And if they did, they had to be executed, killed, shot through. You could not touch it because of the presence of Almighty God that was upon it. It makes us tremble to think of that, of the law and the justice and the holiness of God.

But there's something here that I believe is wonderful. God brought the children of Israel out of the house of bondage from the slavery of Pharaoh by His all-powerful hand to deliver His people from that slavery out from the house of bondage.

And He was taking them to a destination. Where was that?

Canaanland.

And Moses never got to enter it. He was the prophet of God.

Why did God hold him back?

You remember the story.

He smote the rock,.

And that rock was Christ. But it was okay for him to smite it once because it represented Jesus being executed and crucified once. But he smote it again because he became very angry with the children of Israel.

And God says, because you disobeyed Me, I will not allow you to go into that land. Now, I'm leading you up to something else here I think is very important. There was another time also in Moses' life.

Meekest man on earth. Think of that. He got angry. That shows you he's very human. Did Jesus ever fall into sin like that?

No, He didn't.

He was the sinless Son of God. Now, there's much we can learn here, but there's another time in Moses' life that he requested that God would display His glory to him. He said, I want to see Your glory.

So what did God do?

God says,.

You go right into the cleft of the rock here, and I will pass by. God first told him, He said, you cannot see Me face to face. No man can see Me and live. That's how glorious and holy God is. He says, Moses, even you cannot see Me and live.

It would literally disintegrate him. Disintegrate anyone. Even the prophet of God. And the Lord basically replied to Moses after He told him that. He said, but I will do something for you. Go in the cleft of the rock, and when I pass by, you cannot see Me face to face, but you will see the back quarters, and I will pass by,.

But you will see,.

And listen to this, what attribute will you see? God mentioned His goodness. His goodness. He said all of His goodness will pass before Moses, and then He passed by, and God declared this, and I'm reading paraphrased parts of this from Exodus here, that the Lord is merciful and gracious.

He's long-suffering. He's abounding in goodness. He abounds in goodness and truth. Doesn't leave out none. He's gracious. He's merciful. Basically, He's compassionate. He's full of pity. Jonah the prophet had a problem with the pity of God.

You could read that story. Those three chapters is amazing. He was a prophet, and he even had a hard time with understanding why God could forgive such heathens in Nineveh. But Moses, He's telling Moses, in goodness you will see my mercy and all these attributes, the graciousness, the long-suffering, the abounding in goodness, but the goodness of God stands out.

And these are the attributes of God's glory that emphasize the goodness, the character, especially in the relationship to salvation. Now, in John 8, verse 1 to 11, we see this holy grace, this gracious grace, this grace upon grace, this holy pity.

And I say holy because there's nothing else like it on this universe. That God, the holy God, demonstrated this in Jesus Christ, in His Son, to a woman that was caught in the very act of adultery, and the law says that she was to be put to death.

Now, here comes these self-righteous scribes and Pharisees and they have a plot. They're trying to plan to trap Jesus. You know what's interesting? There was no compromise towards sin here. I want you to think of this.

And again, I mentioned Ambrose and Augustine and they really thought as church fathers and as great as they are and much greater than many preachers today, even though they were mere mortal men, but they had tremendous minds and hearts deep that loved God, but even in their views, they were off on some things.

We could find faults with anyone but Jesus.

I can guarantee you that. Anyone, even the prophets of God, you could find faults somewhere, but not Jesus. He's the only sinless Son of God. And here Jesus deals with these self-righteous Pharisees and scribes with words of grace.

Powerful. And here we see Jesus in Jerusalem. Since everyone else went out to His home, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. He spent the night. And now whether the Lord slept on the mountainside or stayed at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and Bethany, and the reason I mention that is because on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, that's where they lived.

We see this in John 11. Just a few chapters that Jesus makes a visit there in Bethany. Bethany is just right on the hillside over there. But it doesn't tell us where Jesus spent the night. We here see Jesus the Creator, the second Person of the Trinity, the Incarnate Son of God, had no place of His own to lay His head.

He illustrates here the perfect humiliation once again in the Gospel records, another picture of His great condescension in the Incarnation, which Philippians 2, 7, and 8, Paul says, when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond slave, being made in the likeness of men, being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross, and that was His mission to die.

Now, at His birth, His mother wrapped the babe, the gift that the Father has given. Mary being a vessel we don't worship, but she is a vessel that was used of God to bear the Son of God. She carries Him.

She gives birth to Him. And literally, the Scripture says, they wrapped Him in clothes, swaddled Him in clothes, and laid Him in a manger. That's the Christmas story, isn't it? But it's a story for all times of life.

The Incarnation of Christ. Why did they do that? Well, because there was no room for them in the end. And still the world says there's no room for Jesus. But beloved, let me say, you need to make room for Jesus.

Make room for Him. During His ministry and His life, His perfect life, He fulfilled the law to its fullness. He said to be a would-be follower one time in Matthew 8 .20, the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

I quoted that to Charismatic. Charismatic, that's what I call them. They're the Charismatics. And this guy just looked at me crazy. And he said, well, I'm not looking at that verse. I said, what are you talking about you're not looking at that verse?

He said, I'm looking at the other verses. And he actually quoted, if I'm not mistaken, I had it wrote down here from Corinthians that the Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, became poor. And I said, friend, you got that.

I said, I know where you're going with that. And you got it all out of context before you even speak it out of your mouth. I said, because I know exactly where you're going because I was friends at one time in my early conversion with people in the Charismatic movement that twisted Scriptures like that saying that Jesus, though He was rich, became poor for your sake,.

That you might be rich.

And it has nothing to do with dollars and cents in this world. It has everything to do with the riches of His grace and His mercy, being rich in faith and good works and righteousness and holiness. How dare anybody to throw that out of context?

That's blaspheming. But the text here notes that simply without fanfare, early in the next morning, verse 2, Jesus came again into the temple and all the people came to Him and He sat down and taught them.

John MacArthur notes this in his commentary, in His humility, the Lord used no gimmicks to market or promote Himself, but offered His teaching freely to all who would listen to Him. So in a typical rabbinic sense and style which the rabbis, the teachers would use, they would always sit down.

He sat down.

He does this at the Sermon on the Mount. He literally sits down. And then the Bible says He opened His mouth and He began to go through the Beatitudes with that pouring forth of blessing after blessing after blessing.

And then He goes.

Through those three wonderful chapters of the greatest sermon ever preached. Jesus simply sat down here somewhere in the temple, we don't know exactly where, and began to teach the people. Now in verse 3 to 11, we come to the wonderful story that illustrates to us the profound truth, that truth that we all are great sinners, beloved.

Can I say that? We are all great sinners. I know there's a lot of people outside of the church that's not part of the church that look at us like, well, we are the righteous ones and we are in Jesus Christ.

I will say that. But we are still sinners in need of God's grace. We are desperate and we, only as great sinners, we look to Christ as a great Savior. Actually, that was the testimony of John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

In his last words, he says, my eyesight, my health is almost gone. But one thing I still do know, that I'm a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior. It is true, saying that every saint has a past in Christ and every sinner that repents and believes the gospel has a glorious future.

You can be sure of that, beloved. So this story in John 8 is an illustration of that great truth. Now, let me get to my outline. Well, almost to my outline. I want to say one more thing first. The first thing that I like to say this, in this story, we literally see three groups of people that are represented here.

Let me tell you who those three groups are. And where do you fit in in this group? The first is the unrighteous, the unrighteous, which is represented by the woman that is called in adultery. Romans 3 .10, as it is written, there is an unrighteous, no, not one.

Romans 3 .23, for all, not some, all have come short of the glory of God. No one excluded. That includes all of us. So, first you see the unrighteous is represented by the woman that is called in adultery.

The second group of people is the self-righteous. Not only the unrighteous, but the self-righteous, which are represented by the scribes, obviously, and the Pharisees, the hypocrites. They are the religious play actors.

John 7 .24, judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Romans 2 .1, therefore Paul speaks to this man that was basically being haughty and prideful, thinking he had all the answers.

He says, therefore thou art an excusable old man, whosoever thou art that judges, for whenever thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou that judgest doest the same things. You're a hypocrite basically.

The third group is, of course, the most wonderful. Not only we see the unrighteous and the self-righteous, we see those that are represented by the Lord Jesus Christ that are the righteous ones, only because of Christ.

So you only have... Aren't there only two types of people in this world, lost and saved, and unrighteous and righteous? Absolutely. I just included the unrighteous and self-righteous. Those actually are one.

But for the groups, yeah, the groups are represented here. And the representation of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the righteous one. The apostle says it in John 2 .1, My little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not.

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Now here the apostle John had, I believe, possibly, he could have had the story of this adulterous woman in mind when he wrote that in 1 John.

I don't know.

But it seems like it fits together.

Yet again,.

We are to keep in mind that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is the central figure of this wonderful story. It's a story of grace. We see grace in John 3 .16 and 17. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Remember verse 17? For God sent not His Son into the world to what? To condemn the world. But that the world through Him.

Might be saved.

He came to be our Savior. Isn't that what the Bible says when He was first born? Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. I know there's different interpretations and views on that.

But again, we're to be noble Bereans. See where that is according to the right interpretation. Paul said it in 1 Timothy 1 .15. I love this. Paul says this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Jesus Christ, why did He come?

Here it is.

He came into the world to what? Save sinners. That's why He came, beloved. It's to save sinners. Save sinners of whom? And then Paul says it's whom I am chief. Paul had that weight of being the persecutor of the church of the living God that he killed many Christians at one time in his life as he was Saul of Tarsus.

God forgave him. Think of that.

He was a murderer of many Christians. And he had the authority in the papers to put them to death. But God forgave Paul. So as John 8 begins, notice with me the contrast between John 7 .53 and 8 .1. Jesus had no home of His own as I already said.

He came into His own. His own received Him not. Verse 12, but as many as received Him, there's the positive, to them He gave the right to become the children of God to those who believe in His name who were born not of blood.

This is one of the greatest verses to me that just slaps man's free will.

Between the eyes.

That man is free to do whatever he wishes to do even in salvation.

And you hear this.

Among our Armenian friends.

Many, many times in which we once were, but by God's grace we see that it's not a works list any man should boast. It is by grace alone, through faith alone that we come to Jesus Christ into salvation.

But people say, yeah, but I still had a choice. Well, we could go in and out about the debates here and you could go to James 1. James 1 ties in perfectly here about every good gift, every perfect gift comes from the Father of lights which is the variable and is the shadow of turning.

But that fits, what is the gift is He talking about? The gift of salvation. And it's not something we did.

If that was the case,.

There would be no need of grace. Well, He says in verse 13, who were born not of blood, that means traditional blood, nor the will of the flesh. Whose will is it?

God's will.

Paul reemphasizes this again. In Romans, I believe 9, it's not him that runs.

And he that wills,.

But it's of God.

So, nor is of the will of man, but of God, but of God. Salvation is God-centered. It's God-centered. 2 Corinthians 8, 9, here it is. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sakes became poor that you through His poverty might be rich, rich in grace, rich in mercy.

Well, here's my points. First, we're going to see very quickly the charge. The charge, verse 3 through 6. Second, we will see the challenge, verse 6b through verse 8. Third, we will see the conviction, verse 9.

Fourth, we will see and observe the compassion. And fifth, we will see the command, verse 11. Then we will look at some practical application. Can I get through all this within 20 more minutes? Well, let's hope and pray I can.

Let's go.

The Charge Against the Woman and the Trap for Jesus

Let's look at, first of all, the charge, the charge, verse 3 to 6. Verse 3 to 6,. Then the scribes of the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. When they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act.

Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned, but what do You say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. This is an interruption that became the illustration of God's amazing grace, beloved, and an introduction to Christ's teaching that He is the light of the world.